Author Archive for: Andi Larocca

This hilarious video of Jimmy Fallon and John Krasinski lip syncing makes us laugh til we’re crying. But, most of all, it makes us crave karaoke.

Luckily, it’s Friday and that means Karaoke with Peter Styles is only a few short hours away. So, if you’re craving it too, make sure you come to the Melody Bar tonight for 11pm and show John Krasinski how Katy Perry is really supposed to be sung.

Usually it’s just dust settling, but in the wake of our first annual GrowOp exhibition exploring landscape and space, with many installations incorporating live plants, gardens and even chickens into their design, it’s been more like dirt.

Chick hotel on the lower green roof by Chicken Cartel

We just wanted to take the time to look back and enjoy some of the great media responses to Grow Op.

Like THIS Torontoist article by Chris Riddell with photos by Corbin Smith…

“Grow Op’s art installations incorporate living things—and things that only seem to be alive”

We’re challenging the scope of illustration in Toronto and looking for artist submissions from now until THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2013.

If Walls Could Talk: The Gladstone Hotel’s Experiential Illustration Show

The Gladstone Hotel seeks expressions of interest for contemporary, experiential projects for its inaugural illustration event, If Walls Could Talk. This group exhibition will take place next March 6–16, 2014 at the historic Gladstone Hotel in downtown Toronto.

If Walls Could Talk will challenge Canadian and international artists to work outside their traditional practices—to occupy and alter spaces in dramatic, conceptual, or experimental ways. The majority of the site-specific work will be localized on the hotel’s second floor, but we encourage applicants to consider proposing projects for all public spaces throughout the hotel.

We encourage artists to participate independently, in collaboration with a partner, or as a team. Ideal candidates for juried consideration are practitioners who approach their disciplines with a radical personal vision. These artists/designers use illustration—or a practice related to illustration—to converse, connect, collaborate, and construct. Successful projects will create delight in the unexpected.

As Queen Westers with an affinity for supporting local Toronto artists, cool design and everything else art-related, it seemed only natural to team up with the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) to curate a dreamy Art in the City room package.

So, from now until April 23 2013, you can stay in an inspired artist-designed Classic Room (like the Teen Queen room shown below) and visit the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) or Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) with 2 general admission tickets for just $149/night.

Book online HERE with the rate code: TOART and really experience all the art in the city. Click here to see all of our 37 artist designed rooms.

Art Now is a three-day alternative art program that runs concurrently with the TOAE from July 5 – 7, 2013 at Nathan Phillips Square.

The TOAE is Canada’s largest annual juried outdoor art exhibition held every July. TOAE is seeking applications for installations, sculpture, performance art, video and integrated media that represent the diversity and vibrancy of Toronto’s art community but that have traditionally fallen outside the commercial parameters of TOAE. There is no cost to participate. Artist fees will be paid in accordance with the CARFAC fee schedule.

For more information about Art Now and the application process, please follow THIS link.

Our friends at SKETCH, the Parkdale community arts initiative engaging young people who live homeless or on the margins to experience the transformative power of the arts, have partnered up with the Community Cartographers to create a cool new project mapping out creativity on Queen West.

Here’s how it works: Come by our lobby where the Community Cartographer’s poster is hanging (until the end of April) and tag areas of creativity or lack of creativity. Every Friday, the Cartographers will be collecting the data and mapping the progress.

You can also participate by: filling out their survey online, submitting a post of what you find creative right to their site, emailing the Cartographers, taking a photo and tagging #mapTO19, Tweeting @CCartographers or uploading to their Facebook page.

Make your mark on Queen West creativity and help the Community Cartographers represent accurate creative findings by participating today!